INSIDE: SPINFREEZE PILES DRONE TECHNOLOGY IN CONSTRUCTION PERILS OF SOCIAL MEDIA The Premier Publication of Canada s Piling Industry pilingcanada.ca $4.50 CANADIAN Q3 2017 Kichton Contracting Ltd. CIVIL EARTHWORKS, UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE, FOUNDATIONS, SHORING AND ANCHORS SOLD! CANADIAN CONTRACTORS TELL US WHAT CONVINCES THEM TO BUY
KICHTON CONTRACTING LTD. Supported by its earthworks and underground divisions, Kichton s piling and shoring division has the capacity to execute any size caisson, anchor, soil nail and shoring design 20 Q3 2017 www.pilingcanada.ca
COVER STORY The Edmonton Mechanized River Valley Experience project; photo shows the construction of a funicular from Hotel MacDonald to the River Valley. Right: Placing large cages in Peace River to stabilize a slide By Barb Feldman Kichton Contracting Ltd. was founded in 1963 by Michael Kichton Sr., when he began doing small civil construction jobs for general contractors and residential developers in the Edmonton area. Fred Kichton, who after his uncle s death continued the company along with his cousin Michael Jr., became the company s sole owner in 2000. In 2007, Fred sold minority shares to his brother Richard and to key employees Laurie Conrad, Russ Giselbrecht and Chris Dirks, who, along with Richard, is now a company vice-president. Fred, Richard and I worked together through the early years to build and grow Kichton as an earthworks company, with about 12 pieces of earthworks equipment and 20 people, said Dirks. Since that time, the company has grown 10 to 20 per cent annually, gaining extensive experience in oilfield construction, underground utilities and foundations, piling, shoring and anchors as well as civil industrial and commercial earthworks. Kichton Contracting works from the Montana border all the way up through Alberta, and from Saskatoon and Regina to northern British Columbia. Fred, although no longer a shareholder, remains Kichton Contracting s president and its mentor, sharing his guidance and a wealth of knowledge, said Dirks. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KICHTON CONTRACTING LTD. Edmonton s 28-storey Epcor Tower Now with its head office in Acheson, Alta., a second location in Lloydminster, Sask., 450 employees and a fleet of more than 500 pieces of equipment, Kichton Contracting is still growing. One major project got us rolling [in 2008], said Dirks. This project was Edmonton s 28-storey Epcor Tower, which, when it was finished in 2011, was the city s first office tower to be built in 17 years. We were awarded that project by Ledcor Construction due to some innovative ideas, and when competitors were PILING CANADA 21
COVER STORY Kichton Contracting s main office and yard in Acheson, Alta., just west of Edmonton on the Yellowhead Highway struggling, going bankrupt or laying off staff, we were able to acquire high-quality people and get the work done efficiently, said Dirks. That year, Kichton almost doubled in size. Now, the company aims for annual growth of no more than 10 per cent, he said, observing that businesses can go bankrupt even in good times if they grow so fast they lose control or get too much work and can t finish jobs sufficiently to collect the last money. The last bit [of money] that s your profit. The opportunity arose to start a piling and shoring division in 2015, according to Dirks. Brad DePagie, Rob Walker and Daisy Potvin, who had all been managers at other drilling companies, became minority shareholders. Then Bernie Coderre, who for 35 years had been with a major Western Canadian foundation engineering and construction company, joined the team. [Bernie] came into our office one day and told us he wanted to unload his knowledge to our younger group for free, said Dirks. We pay him now, though. The piling and shoring division, managed by Daisy Potvin and Kevin King, is also supported by the project managers, superintendents and in-house engineers of Kichton s earthworks and underground divisions. Aiming for steady, controlled growth The majority of our work has been tangent walls and containment walls holding something in place, said Dirks, noting that these projects are often in northern Alberta. The company recently installed a tangent wall and 150-foot-deep anchors along the banks of the Peace River to stabilize the main highway into the town of Peace River. CONTINUED ON PAGE 24 The Edmonton Mechanized River Valley Experience project on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River The majority of our work has been tangent walls and containment walls holding something in place. Chris Dirks, Kichton Contracting Ltd. 22 Q3 2017 www.pilingcanada.ca